How do you share your special love story while letting guests know what really makes you and your groom stand apart from the rest? The answer is signing up for unique registry options. Check out these 10 hot new alternatives to standard wedding registries that will make your wedding day as memorable for your guests as it will be for you!
Registry Ideas
Art For Art’s Sake: Register for your wedding at your favourite local gallery. Lipman Contemporary Art at lipmanart.com is one such gallery that offers accessible, one-of-a-kind works of art. Whether you prefer painting, sculpture, illustration or design, getting married is the perfect time to begin your collection.
Grape Expectations: If art isn’t your style, try a wine registry. While your local vino store may not offer an official registry, they might create a custom service for you, as might individual vintners. Try your local winemaker or tour some wineries to narrow your options. Raise a glass to a stellar cellar!
Guy Stuff: Hard to get your hubby-to-be excited about wedding registries? Groom-friendly stores like Canadian Tire (canadiantire.ca) and Home Depot (homedepot.ca) are changing the face of registries. That power drill set he’s been pining for has never been more attainable than right now...
Sweet Charity: Make a donation that speaks to your hearts, like to the Children’s Make-A-Wish Foundation (wish.org), a charity that helps sick kids everywhere. Or, if there’s a hospital that has made a difference in your life, or you’d like to fund disease prevention research in memory of a special family member, pay tribute by letting all your loved ones know how important it is to you.
Bon Voyage!: Whether you book with your travel agent or through thebigday.com, you can actually set up your own honeymoon registry website! Let friends and family participate in a trip to remember by buying you specific services during your honeymoon (like your first scuba lesson in Fiji).
House Calls: For a practical plan to help make a house your home, try a mortgage registry—they’re more popular than you think. Inquire about the many options available, at your bank of choice, to find one that’s right for you. Count the number of times friends and family tell you they wish this service was around when they got married.
Hobbies ’R’ Us: Are you both diehard campers whose idea of a great honeymoon is kayaking down the river wild? Or maybe you’re crafty types who enjoy making something functional for your home, entirely from scratch? If so, see if your favourite art supply store, outdoor sporting goods store, or specialty shop that caters to your hobbies offers a gift registry (or would begin one for you).
Kids in the Hall: Do you already own your own home? Have you already merged two sets of household items? Trying to start a family? If you know you plan to have children, an education fund for your future family might be a good idea. After all, it’s never too early to start saving for your future kids’ higher education.
An Admirable Cause: Is there an organization you admire to the extent you’d like to contribute to their cause? Whether you’re sponsoring literacy, saving a forest, helping underprivileged children, building homes, or funding an animal-rights movement, show your support by taking this golden opportunity to give the ultimate gift. Try ABC Canada (abc-canada.org), Greenpeace (greenpeace.ca
), the United Way (unitedway.ca), Habitat for Humanity (habitat.ca) or the World Wildlife Fund (wwf.ca) to share your good fortune with those less fortunate than you.
Candid Camera: Since wedding photography can be expensive, many photographers offer a photography registry. This way, you can develop all the snaps for your album, and get doubles and triples to make your parents happy, too. Knowing in advance that all your pix are paid for will make it that much easier to say cheese throughout your wedding day!
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